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The following information is on basic recreational saltwater fishing regulations for southwest Florida as of July 2010. This is intended as a quick reference for the most common inshore and backcountry saltwater fish and may not be the most current information. For complete and accurate regulations and information on licenses and specialty tags go to the Florida Wildlife Commission website. A link is provided in the "organizations" section of this page.

All fish must remain whole until landed ashore (head and tail intact) Spanish mackerel, Permit, and Pompano are measured to the fork in the tail all others are measured to total length as defined below. Total length is the straight line distance from the most forward part of the head with the mouth closed to the farthest tip of the tail with the tail compressed or squeezed together while the fish is lying on its side.   Species Minimum Size Limits Closed Season Daily Bag Limit Mackerel - Spanish 12" fork 15 per day Permit & Pompano "'Minimum" 11" fork Maximum 20" fork Minimum 11" fork Maximum 20" fork 6 per day aggregate of both species Red Drum (Redfish) Minimum 18" Maximum 27" 1 (one) per day Sheephead 12" 15 per day Snapper - Gray (Mangrove) 5 per day Snook Minimum 28" Maximum 33" Gulf and ENP Closed in Gulf and ENP until September 1, 2012 1 (one) per day Spotted Seatrout Minimum 15" Maximum 20" except one fish over 20" allowed Nov - Dec South region 4 per day South region   All fish must remain whole until landed ashore (head and tail intact) Spanish mackerel, Permit, and Pompano are measured to the fork in the tail all others are measured to total length as defined below. Total length is the straight line distance from the most forward part of the head with the mouth closed to the farthest tip of the tail with the tail compressed or squeezed together while the fish is lying on its side.  ORGANIZATIONS (top) Bonefish & Tarpon Unlimited http://www.tarbone.org/ Coastal Conservation Association of Florida http://www.ccaflorida.org/ Conservancy of Southwest Florida http://www.conservancy.org/ Federation of Fly Fishers http://www.fedflyfishers.org/ Federation of Fly Fishers Florida Council http://www.fffflorida.org/ Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission http://www.myfwc.com/ International Game Fish Association http://www.igfa.org/ CLUB LIBRARY (top) DVD LIBRARY The following 12 excellent DVDs are available for use by the members. 1.      Beginnings: Intro to Fly Fishing ---- Mel Krieger (68 minutes) 2.      Essence of Fly Casting ---- Mel Krieger 3.      Essence of Fly Casting – Advanced ---- Mel Krieger 4.      Art of Fly Casting ---- Chico Fernandez (60 minutes) 5.      Successful Fly Fishing ---- To White (3 parts) 6.      School of Fly Casting ---- Joan and Lee Wulff (50 minutes) 7.      Casting ---- Lefty Kreh 8.      Fly Tying Basics ---- Jack Dennis 9.      Fly Fishing – Western Flies ---- Jack Dennis 10. Life Cycle of the Mayfly ---- Fly Tying 11. Nymphing ---- Gary Borger (30 minutes) 12. Saltwater Fly Casting (10 steps to Distance and Power) ---- George Roberts   Contact Joe Beauchamp (239-262-2826) to borrow a DVD. A $20 deposit is required that will be returned when you return the DVD. Please return the DVD at the next meeting so it is available to other members.   The following books are offered for sale. Please contact Mike Kozlow to arrange the purchase and delivery at mikekozlow@comcast.net.   Backcountry Fly Fishers Books List Title Author  Ask  1980 World Record Game Fishes IGFA 1980       1.00 1997 World Record Game Fishes IGFA 1997       2.00 A Fishing Guide to the Streams of Kentucky Bob Sehlinger 1980     10.00 Advanced Bass Fishing John Weiss 1985       3.00 Al Pflueger's Fisherman's Handbook Al Pflueger 1974       0.75 Art and Science of Fly Fishing Dick Lenox 1977       0.75 At The Water's Edge Benjamin Perkins 1989     13.00 Bass Fishin'! (cartoons) John Troy 1985       5.00 Bonefishing! Randall Kaufmann 2000     57.50 Bottom Fishing Frank Woolner 1984       1.15 Cast Again : Tales of a Fly Fishing Guide Jennifer Olsson 1996       0.95 Chasing Fish Tales John Holt 1996       5.00 Classic Guide to Fly-Fishing for Trout Charles Jardine 1991     17.50 Commonsense Fly Fishing Ray Ovington 1983       0.75 Complete Book of Bass Fishing Grits Gresham 1969       2.00 Complete Book of Fly Fishing Joe Brooks 1970       1.00 Complete Guide to Fishing Across North America Joe Brooks 1966       1.00 Dictionary of Fishes Rube Allyn 1967       0.75 Essential Fly Fishing Tom Meade 1994       1.25 Falkus and Buller's Freshwater Fishing Fred Buller 1994     30.00 Fifty Favorite Fly-Fishing Tales Chris Santella 2006       5.00 Filed Guide to Freshwater Fishes of N. A. A J McClane 1974       0.75 Fisherman's Knots, Fishing Rigs, and How to Use Them Bob McNally 1995       9.00 Fly Fishing a Trailside Guide John Merwin 1996       3.00 Fly Fishing in Maine Al Raychard 1990       6.00 Fly Fishing made Easy Michael Rutter 1994       1.75 Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis Howell Raines 1993       2.00 Fly Fishing: A Life in Mid-Stream Turhan Tirana 1996       2.50 Fly Patterns of Roderick Haig-Brown Athur Lingren 1993     65.00 Fly Tying with Synthetics Phil Camera 1992       6.50 Flyfishing Always Mike Wolverton 1984       1.00 Great Fishing and Hunting Lodges of North America A J McClane 1984       3.75 How to fish for Bass A. Paule Smith 1967       2.00 Hunting and Fishing in Kentucky Ear Ruby 1978       2.00 Identifying Anglers' Flies Simpson & McGavin 1997       1.50 Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fly Fishing Silvio Calabi 1993       1.75 Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fly Fishing Silvio Calabi 1993       1.90 Joe and Me James Prosek 1997       0.75 John Goddard's Trout-Fishing Techniques John Goddard 1996       0.75 Just Fishing Ray Bergman 1942       2.00 Lefty's Little Libaray of Fly Fishing: A Field Guide 1992     10.00 Lefty's Little Libaray of Fly Fishing: American Masters  Part One 1992     10.00 Lefty's Little Libaray of Fly Fishing: American Masters  Part Two 1992     10.00 Lefty's Little Libaray of Fly Fishing: Favorite Fly Fishing  Vol. 1 1992     10.00 Lefty's Little Libaray of Fly Fishing: Fly Fishing For Trout Vol. I 1992     10.00 Lefty's Little Libaray of Fly Fishing: Fly Fishing For Trout Vol. III 1992     10.00 Lefty's Little Libaray of Fly Fishing: Fly Fishing For Trout Vol.V 1992     10.00 Lefty's Little Libaray of Fly Fishing: Steelhead and Salmon 1992     10.00 Live Water Thomas McGuane 1996   150.00 Many Rivers to Cross M.R. Montgomery 1995       2.25 Mastery Learning System:  Advanced Strategies For Selective Trout Doug Swisher     10.00 Mastery Learning System: Anatomy of a Trout Stream Rick Hafele     10.00 Mastery Learning System: Fishing the Dry Fly Gary Borger     10.00 Mastery Learning System: Strategies For Selective Trout Doug Swisher     10.00 Meanderings of a Fly Fisherman Seth Norman 1996       3.50 National Geographic's Wonderous World of Fish 1969       2.00 Native Trout of North America Robert H. Smith 1995     25.00 Oldtime Bass Fishing Tales Byron Dalrymple 1993       7.00 On the Fly Guide to the Northern Rockies Chuck Robbins 2004     13.00 Out West Dayton Duncan 1988       1.00 Pale Morning Done Jeff Hull 2005       1.00 Pavlov's Trout Paul Quinnett 1994       0.75 Peacock Bass & Other Fierce Exotics Larry Larsen 1996     60.00 Prey: Tying New Imitations of Fresh and Saltwater Forage Foods Carl Richards 1995       3.75 Ribald Tales Martin Sommers 1996       4.00 Saltwater Fly Fishing Magic Left Kreh 1993       5.00 Silent Seasons Russell Chatham 1998       1.00 Slack Line Strategies for Fly Fishing John Judy 1994       5.50 South Island Trout Fishing Guide to New Zealand John Kent 1990       1.00 Terrestrials Harrison Steeves 1994       5.50 The American Sportsman Treasury Various 1971       0.75 The Best of Trout and Salmon John Wilshaw 1995       1.50 The Best of Waterfront View Vic Dunaway 1989       0.75 The Complete Book of Fly Fishing Tom McNally       2.75 The Complete Book of the Striped Bass Nicholas Karas 1974       1.00 The Complete Guide to Knots Walter Gibson 1995       3.50 The Fisherman's Encyclopedia Ira Gabrielson 1958     10.00 The Fly Fisher's Guide to Warm water Lakes Cliff Hauptman 1995       6.00 The Game Fishes of New England and SE Canada Peter Thumpson 1980       5.00 The Habit of Rivers Ted Leeson 1955       1.75 The Irish Game Angler's Anthology Nial Fallon 1991     20.00 The New Fisherman's Encyclopedia Ira Gabrielson 1964       5.00 The New Zealand Encyclopaedia of Fly Fishing Bryn Hammond 1988       5.00 The Run to Gitche Gumee Robert F. Jones 2001       1.00 The Sporting Life: A Passion for Hunting and Fishing Laurence Sheehan 1992       5.00 To Know A River Haig-Brown 1996     25.00 To Meet the First March Brown Geoffrey Bucknall 1994     19.00 Traveling with a Fly Rod and Reel Gary Soucie 1995       2.00 Trout Fishing In North Georgia Jimmy Jacobs 1993       0.75 Trout Flies Gary LaFontaine 1993     50.00 Trout Stream Insects (Orvis Streamside Guide)  Dick Pobst 1991       1.00 Trout the Size of Footballs Richard Anderson 1990       0.95 Trout: Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Philip White 1995       2.00 Tying Strong Fishing Knots Bill Herzog 1995       2.00 UltraLight Spin Fishing Peter F. Cammann 1994       3.00 Women Can Fish Chisie Farrington 1951       2.00 CLUB LOGO CLOTHING (top) To get BFF T-shirts, fishing shirts or fishing caps contact Jim Wheeler at 239-398-3620 or email him at jw2447@me.com. Shirts are also available at the monthly meetings. If you have suggestions or ideas for logo clothing/items send them to Jim at his e-mail address. FLY SHOPS (top) Mangrove Outfitters 4111 East Tamiami Trail Naples, FL 34112 239-793-3370 www.mangroveoutfitters.com/   Bass Pro Shop 10040 Gulf Center Drive Ft. Myers, FL 33913 www.basspro.com   LINKS (top) The links below contain a variety of information in addition to the specified category. General Information http://www.marco-island-florida.com/don/home.htm (A Basic Guide to Saltwater Fly Fishing in Southwest Florida) http://www.floridasportsman.com/ (Florida Sportsman Magazine) http://www.flyfishinsalt.com/ (Fly Fishing in Saltwater Magazine) http://www.maptech.com/ (Free Nav Photos and Nautical Charts) http://www.swfloutdoors.com/(Southwest Florida Outdoors) Equipment http://www.CustomGheenoe.com/ (Gheenoe Boats) http://www.eastcapecanoes.com/ (Gladesman and other skiffs) http://www.EvergladesAngler.com/ (Guide Services) http://www.mangroveoutfitters.com/ (Fly Fishing Store in Naples) http://www.napleskayakcompany.com (Kayaks and kayak equipment) http://www.sunshineace.com/sports.htm (Fishing Equipment at Ace Hardware Store) Fishing Clubs http://www.flycaster.com/ (Directory of Fly Fishing Clubs for all states) http://www.fcff.org/ (Jacksonville, First Coast Fly Fishers) http://www.bffaofbrevard.org/ (Melbourne, Backcountry FFA Brevard Chapter) http://www.mangrovecoastflyfishers.com/ (Sarasota, Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers) http://www.fbbflyfishers.com/ (Tallahassee, Florida Big Bend Flyfishers) http://www.tbffc.org/ (Tampa, Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club) Fly Tying http://www.saltwaterflies.com/(Flies and FlyTying Materials, and some Instructions) http://www.saltwaterflytyers.com/(Fly Tying Materials, Flies and fly patterns) http://www.flytyingworld.com/(Fly patterns and tying instructions mostly freshwater) Knots http://www.animatedknots.com/indexfishing.php?(Animated knot tying instructions) http://www.flymartonline.com/article215.html(Knot tying and rigging instructions) http://www.graysofkilsyth.com/fishing-knots.htm(Knot tying and leader construction) http://www.killroys.com/knots/knots.htm(Knot tying instructions with large pictures) http://www.netknots.com/ (Knot tying instructions) www.washingtonflyfishing.com/faq/idx/0/063/article/Knot_Guide.html(Knot tying instructions) Tide and Weather http://www.naplesnews.com/weather/ (Naples area weather) http://www.weather.com/ (Weather 10 day forecast) http://www.noaa.gov/ (National Weather) http://stardate.org/nightsky/moon/ (Moon phases) http://www.protides.com/florida (Florida tides) http://www.saltwatertides.com/ (Tide tables)   beach fishing(top) Fishing along the beaches can be quite rewarding. Snook swim in the trough right at the edge or within 3 feet of the surf line. The technique is to stand back from waters edge 10 feet or more and search for passing snook. Cast ahead of the snook and move the fly as the snook approaches. The best time of day for this is early morning as only fishermen are on the beaches and the sun is at your back. Late in the day when the beach goers have left will also work but then the sun is in your face. For flies a "DT" is easy to tie and effective (see under Flies on the Gallery web page for a picture). Other patterns for the beach are clousers (chartreuse and white), bait fish patterns, and crab patterns. Smaller hook sizes like 2 or maybe even 4 are best (smaller relative to salt water standards not trout standards). If you do not tie your own stop in at the Mangrove Outfitters, 4111 East Tamiami Trail, and the owner, Tom Shadley (239-793-3370), can provide you with flies and whatever else you might need. The following are some beach access points. Starting on Marco Island and working north. Tigertail Beach County Park, 480 Hernando Drive, Marco Island - walk west from the parking lot (entry fee) until you reach the lagoon then turn right, north, and walk to the inlet of the lagoon. This works best at low tide as you can wade across the lagoon and fish any where along the inlet or walk over and fish in the gulf. Another benefit to this location is you are away from beach goers so you can fish more hours during the day. If you fish it in the evening verify with the attendant at the parking lot that the gate will open when you want to leave. There are restrooms and a snack bar by the parking lot. 33rd Avenue south - take Second Street south, also called Gordon Drive, to 33rd Avenue south and turn west. If you have a Collier County beach sticker on your car park in the designated parking spaces, otherwise park in a metered parking spot. If there are no places to park go back north to 32nd Avenue south and park there. Anyway, after you park walk to the beach and head south. You can fish all the way to the inlet of the Gordon River. If the tide is low you can wade a ways up the Gordon River, just be sure to get back to the beach before high tide or you may have to swim. In addition to cruising along the beach, snook also hang out among the pilings that jut out from the beach. There is also the possibility of lady fish or jack crevelles that you can cast to from the beach. Look for pods of bait fish being attacked. Clam Pass Beach Park – take Pine Ridge Road west (it becomes Seagate Drive west of Tamiami, highway 41) until it dead ends at the Clam Pass parking lot (entry fee). There is a small tram that takes people to the beach but in the early morning you will have to walk. From the beach walk north to the inlet and begin fishing or fish anywhere along the beach. At low tide some people wade across the inlet. The problem is you will have to swim back if you are still there at high tide. There are restrooms and a snack bar on the beach. Vanderbilt Beach – take Vanderbilt Beach Road west until you reach the beach parking garage. The garage is on the left (fee). Walk to the beach and look for snook. There is no fresh water inlet at this location and therefore is not as good a destination as the other locations for fishing. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park – take Immokalee Road west to the entrance to the park (fee). Drive inside the park to parking lot number 5, the last parking lot, and go to the far end to park. Walk to the beach and head north. This beach is divided between fishing and no-fishing areas. The fishing area is north near the inlet. Fish the inlet area and at low tide you can wade up the inlet to the east and then south, again if you do be aware of when the tide changes. There are restrooms by the parking lot and a snack bar at the beach. In general the inlets at all the beaches are best the first hour of the incoming tide. On the out going tide fishing can be good until the water changes colors. When the freshwater from the river which is usually stained and/or turbid reaches the inlet the fish stop biting. Fishing is over until the tide turns and clean water from the gulf comes in.